The Hornets beat the Nuggets

The Hornets beat the Nuggets in a thriller last night in Denver. Desmond Mason was the hero as he picked up a loose ball and stuck it in the cylinder with microseconds left in overtime. I'm on three hours sleep right now but I'm buzzing. This must be how Michael Madsen was feeling when he was stuck in the middle. Except I want to hug strangers and dance with children, not chop a cop's ear off.

The big story coming into this one was JR Smith and his first game against the Hornets. Lil Earl missed his first eight shots and finished 3-of-13 from the floor for 9 points. He did however knock down a clutch three late in OT that tied the ballgame.

Methinks we may have been lucky to catch him on an off night. And despite the image above, I must admit I still kinda like JR. As John Reid tells us today, the kid showed some class by extending a hand to Byron Scott before the game. PJ Brown would be proud.

Mason's gamer capped a 23-point night in which he shot a blistering 10-of-14 from the field. He was a big reason the Hornets were able to escape from a 10-point hole with three minutes left in regulation, with 7 of his points coming in that rally.

Tyson Chandler had another double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing 16 boards. Must say, his dub-dubs are getting old by now. It's like "ho-hum", you know? How about a 20-20 game, or a triple-double?

Carmelo Anthony and a still-kinda-gimpy Allen Iverson combined for 49 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds, which is pretty damn good by regular human standards. Bet they'd trade the numbers for a win, though.

The Nugg Doctor spits venom in his game recap. A quick excerpt from a quality read…

One thing that is for sure though, is that the heady Paul took the ball right to the rim in his opportunity to be the hero. Something that the Nuggets should take careful note of for when this situation presents itself again.

George Karl, postgame…

"We're cheating the game a little bit right now. We're not giving enough focus and intensity to the little things. We just allow teams to have opportunities. Sometimes I feel like Santa Claus; it's just gifts."

David West had a good game. Not great, but good. He finished with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Anyone else find it strange that he was just 1-of-5 from the free throw line? He's shooting 80% for the season.

I'll say nothing about Chris Paul being mugged by Carmelo on that final play in regulation. Or maybe I just did.

That'll do.

Breaking everything into smaller, bitesize chunks today, so the Bucks preview is coming right after this, and maybe some Random Shizzle after that. Check back.